It's Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas!

It's Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas!

12.15.2019

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!  Look at that beautiful winter wonderland.  

We enjoyed our first big snowfall this weekend: inches where we live and a couple of feet up in the mountains!  The best part is that it's cold enough to stick around for a while.  I love going up into the South Hills after a fresh layer of snow has fallen.  The snow hanging on the evergreen branches just feels magical.  It makes me giddy with happiness... until about February.  Haha.  But for now, I'm soaking it in for all it's worth.

After a few chores around the house yesterday, Bron and I loaded the boys up into the truck to take them sledding for the first time this season.  The hill was surprisingly uncrowded.  Bron helped the boys cut some brand new tracks in the snow and they careened down the hill over and over again.  I'm pretty sure they all got a face full of powder at one time or another!

Conrad would not keep his gloves on.  He complained that his hands were cold, so he'd take his gloves off only to stick his hands in the snow.  That routine was obviously not working for him, but a couple of cups of hot chocolate seemed to reverse the damage.  Conrad is such a happy kid.  He really had a good time overall and chatted my ear off about it.

After our snowy sledding adventure, we returned home for some dry clothes and then took the boys into town for dinner and some Christmas shopping.  We really wore them out!  Sunday morning I felt so stupid walking into their room after 8am to wake them for church.  Who wakes three sleeping boys?!?

Good memories I hope we'll get to repeat a few more times this winter.

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Camping Under the Milky Way

Camping Under the Milky Way

8.27.2019

A couple of weeks ago we were headed up into the South Hills together as a family on a Sunday afternoon when Jed asked if we could go camping.  I could see Bron mulling over the request in his mind.  He passed the idea by me later that evening.  I was all in; it sounded fun!  But then we debated on where.  Do we keep it simple and head up into the South Hills or travel a little further and discover some place new?  I am so glad we decided to put in the extra effort at the last minute to camp in an area of Idaho none of us had ever visited before because... It. Was. Epic.

We left the house on Friday afternoon, three days before school started; one last summer adventure.  We found a large camping spot in a grassy area near a creek under some beautiful mountain peaks.  The place was like a dream!  We hardly saw or heard other campers all weekend.  The place felt so remote.  It was wonderful.    

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Our Coeur d'Alene Family Vacation Part II: Tubbs Hill + The Hiawatha Trail

Our Coeur d'Alene Family Vacation Part II: Tubbs Hill + The Hiawatha Trail

8.16.2019

Tuesday was a bit more low key as we set out to explore a few of Coeur d'Alene's downtown highlights at the kids' pace.

First on the list was to hike Tubbs' Hill!  We didn't finish the hike.  Instead, we pulled off at a beachy spot and the boys enjoyed playing in the water!  I didn't think to wear swimsuits or bring our towels.  (Actually, I wasn't thinking at all.  I was just surviving with my sore throat!)  But we all had a blast anyway.  I didn't talk much, but I sure did enjoy myself.  Hanging out at the water's edge in the sunshine and watching my boys happily play is a day in heaven in my book!

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Our Coeur d'Alene Family Vacation Part I: Farragut State Park + Silverwood

Our Coeur d'Alene Family Vacation Part I: Farragut State Park + Silverwood

8.11.2019

We just arrived home from an epic family vacation to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho -- and a last minute extension to Glacier National Park!  Something about vacations makes me want to simplify my life so that my real life can feel more like this: time together.  We saw so many incredibly beautiful places and went on some adventures that I know the boys (and me too!) will be talking about for a long time.  These family vacations feel so special to me.  And this one went so smoothly with the kids.

We arrived in Coeur d'Alene the evening of Saturday August 3rd.  It just happened to be Levi's actual birthday! (We celebrated with chocolate cupcakes from the store.)  We checked in to our cute three bedroom Airbnb located in an older neighborhood among some tall trees.  That little home made our stay so much more comfortable!  I mean, I was doing a load of laundry after our first day.  The boys are always getting their clothes so filthy.  I love that we had a separate bedroom from the kids and that there was a full kitchen.  Plus, the boys' room had toys and the front room was loaded with family friendly movies.  It was great!

But it gets better.  The rental was just a short bike ride from Ross' Point, a little park on the river!  That was our first stop Sunday morning as we ventured out to explore for the day.      

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Our First Mountain Bike Ride as a Family of Five

Our First Mountain Bike Ride as a Family of Five

7.25.2019

We went for our first mountain bike ride as a family of five.  Yes!  Conrad went along!  It's kind of a special feeling to be all together on the trail.  Jed and Levi even conquered the entire Eagle loop for the very first time too.  Go boys!

We bought Conrad a rad new toy, er actually it's a seat.  It's called a Mac Ride, made by some crazy and innovative Canadians, of course.  It attaches to both Bron and my mountain bikes quickly and easily.  It's genius!  Then Conrad hops on the seat, places his feet in the stirrups, and grabs the handle bars.

"Ready, set, go!" Conrad excitedly chants.

Conrad can't get enough.  He's right in the middle of the action with us, both uphill and downhill; no fear.  He actually thinks he's in charge.  "Daddy on the side," he says.  It makes me chuckle.

Here's to many more priceless family bike ride memories!

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The 3rd Annual Nelson Camp and Climb

The 3rd Annual Nelson Camp and Climb

5.26.2019

I just made that title up, but I think it's about time this little shindig of ours got an official name.  Yes, this is the third year in a row that the Nelson crew has gotten together in the month of May to camp near Castle Rocks and go climbing the next day.

This year, Kaleb found this awesome teeny cabin with a kitchen, bathroom, and one room sleeping area in the drop dead beautiful valley of Elba, Idaho.  (In fact, if we could just pick up and move there, I might just do it!)  The cabin he rented sits on a few acres and is meant for camping and group get-togethers just like ours.  Access to some electricity, running potable water, and a bathroom made camping that much nicer.  Way to go, Kaleb in heading that up!

Unfortunately, this Spring has been the season of the never ending rains.  Rain storms have rolled through every day for nearly two weeks now and it looks as if it's going to keep on raining for another week.  Nooo!  I've been wearing a jacket everywhere because the temps are hanging out in the 40's and 50's.  Brrrr.  Idaho please reclaim your happy, sunny, dry desert self!  We miss you!  

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Our Saturday Morning Snowshoe Adventure to Ross Falls

Our Saturday Morning Snowshoe Adventure to Ross Falls

2.25.2019

We loaded up into the truck Saturday morning and as we headed down the road towards the South Hills, I couldn't help but grab Bron's hand as I looked around at what we'd brought with us: 3 boys in the backseat (one ornery child complaining about his mittens), 2 dogs hanging their heads out of the bed of the truck, and what feels like a ton of gear.

"Look at this chaos we've created!" I exclaimed.

"Why did we do it to ourselves?" Bron replied grumpily.  But underneath he had a smile.

"Well, we can't take it back.  I kind of love it."

It's true.  This chaos we call family has steadily grown over the last 12 years.  There is more of everything these days.  More clothes to wash.  More whining.  More messes.  More noise.  More food for the table.  More moments when I feel overwhelmed by it all.  There's also more teasing.  More laughter.  More hugs.  More "I'm sorry."  More "I love you."  More teaching.  More learning.  More purpose.  More prayer.  But most of all, more joy.

Everything has its opposite.  I'll take the lows any day for the highs that erase their memory.

I turned 34 years old a little less than a month ago.  I don't make a big deal of my birthday here on the blog because I feel like being somewhere in my 30's just isn't noteworthy.  It's just another year on the planet.  Looking around, however, I am really proud of what Bron and I have accomplished thus far together.  A loving husband, three healthy kids, two crazy dogs, and a house out in the country may seem very boring and ordinary, but it's actually a very beautiful life.  Sometimes it hits me hard just how lucky I am!  I have so much to be grateful for.

So Saturday morning, feeling a little extra nostalgic about being the lucky wife and mom to these boys I get to call mine, we forged our own trail up to Ross Falls.  I have never seen the snow so deep!  As we reached the top, I just kind of slid into a hole created by the creek bed.  Two minutes later, the kids were in there with me.  It was really incredible to be down there surrounded by walls of snow!  We had a blast but had to head back down the trail quickly once Conrad soaked himself in the creek.  No worries.  Conrad was all right.  Bron stripped him down and got him warmed up in the truck.  I hope my little boys know how much spending time with them and making memories with them means to me!

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Sledding Idaho Style in a Winter Wonderland

Sledding Idaho Style in a Winter Wonderland

2.11.2019

There was so much snow on Sunday that church was canceled.  So we played in it... Idaho style!  We really do have the best neighbors and neighborhood.  A big thank you to Ty for entertaining the kids all afternoon!  The boys had a blast.

No further explanations needed.  The pictures tell the story...

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A Weekend in McCall with My Sweetheart

A Weekend in McCall with My Sweetheart

7.10.2018

Bron and I snuck away to McCall, Idaho for the weekend; a quiet relaxing weekend for just the two of us.  These getaways mean the world to us and our marriage.  For us, it is one of the best ways to reconnect.  I left my big camera at home and opted to remember this trip through phone snapshots.  It was a good decision.  We had so much fun.

A BIG THANK YOU to my mom who agreed to watch the boys.  I don't think they even missed us.

We arrived early Friday afternoon with plenty of time to kill and no particular items on our agenda.  So we scoped out a local hot springs and jumped in!  I admit, it felt a little weird not to have the kids with us.  They've become my buffer?  My excuse to act like a kid?  My why to keep moving and stay busy?  They are all of those things.  It felt relaxing to be a grown up in the hottest section of the pool and just hang out... to almost run out of things to talk about in public, but we didn't.

We watched the sunset over Payette Lake that night, ate dinner, and found the biggest, most delicious ice cream cones to eat in Ice Cream Alley.  Bron ate so much it made him sick!  Haha.  But he couldn't possibly waste that good stuff, could he?

Saturday was a mountain bike riding marathon!  Literally.  We went on three different rides (the third was on a whim) and covered a total of 28 miles... with lunch and dinner and a dip for our toes in the lake in between, of course!  McCall has some of the best trails I've ever ridden.  Plus it was breathtakingly beautiful.  All we could talk about was coming back and bringing the boys! 

^^Taken on our last ride through Ponderosa State Park.  If we stopped, we got eaten alive by mosquitos.  And so it became a sprint!  I'll never forget it.^^

Sunday morning, we chose a more quiet and tranquil activity by renting a tandem kayak and exploring what's called the Meanders on the north end of Payette Lake.  I geeked over the reflections of the trees and sky in the water.  Idaho is a gem.   

^^My Honey^^

Then on the way back to Boise, there was a fire and traffic got backed up, detoured, and delayed and we got irritated.  It took fooorever to get home.  Worth it, though?  Oh yeah.  Definitely worth it.

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The Nelson Family Reunion and the World's Fastest Slide

The Nelson Family Reunion and the World's Fastest Slide

6.12.2018

We kicked off the first official week of summer break in the best way possible at the Nelson Family Reunion!  It's a biennial get-together chuck full of fun and love and sugar.  This year, it was held at the West Piney LDS Camp located in a stunningly beautiful and private valley in East Idaho. 

Our three days and two nights camping would be more accurately described as glamping.  The lodge was huge!  There was an industrial sized kitchen adjacent to a large room perfect for gathering and eating.  It allowed for an over-abundance of food and treats as everyone contributed to the meals.  As tradition insists, a snack table was also set up alongside one wall.  I think the aunts (without little children at home anymore) have the most fun with that as they stocked it with Costco sized boxes of sugary treats and just sat back to watch and laugh as the kids gathered around it like ravenous wolves.  At one point, someone found a group of kids hiding in the hallway, each sitting on their own giant stash of candies and cookies!  It was hilarious.  If there is ever a time to get sick on candy, the Nelson reunion is it.

The lodge boasted multiple bunk rooms upstairs and several smaller private rooms, each with a double or queen sized bed.  And ALL the beds had mattresses.  We just plopped our sleeping bags and pillows on top.  I mean, I actually slept!  And Conrad did amazing.  He took long naps and snoozed the night away in his pack 'n play tucked in a quiet corner of a private room.  Not to mention the part I think I was most appreciative about in the lodge: the plethora of toilets and showers.  Yay!

The majority of our time, however, was spent outside enjoying the beautiful outdoor space.  By far, the crowning highlight of that yard was the slide.  The slide at West Piney is as tall and fast as a Disneyland ride.  All the kids (including myself!) lined up for endless rides down on narrow pieces of carpet.  Each time someone went down, the slide became a little bit more polished and a became a little bit speedier.  It was such a blast!  Even Conrad enjoyed it, squealing on my lap as we careened towards the earth.  Unfortunately, Conrad thought he could take the slide on by himself.  I barely caught him at the top, twice!  So that was a bit stressful on my part.  You know, keeping my kid from breaking multiple bones or worse.  But all is well that ends well. 

Please enjoy the smathering of photos I took, having a lot of fun one evening trying to capture everyone's faces as they played on this legendary slide.

           ^^Cousin Leah's toes at the precipice of the slide^^

^^Jed flying down the steep slide.  No hands was a 'must'^^

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Our First Family Vacation to Bear Lake

Our First Family Vacation to Bear Lake

7.20.2017

I admit, we took this vacation nearly a year and a half ago and I am just now getting to editing the pictures and posting about it.  I'm also back-posting it because this is my blog and I can do what I want with it.  Really, when I print another volume of this blog, I want these memories to show up in chronological order.  And what sweet memories this family vacation encases!  Going through these photos so many months later just might make the memories even sweeter.  The kids have grown so much since then!

Our trip to Bear Lake was our very first vacation taken as just our little immediate family.  Levi talked about it for months afterwards.  In fact, he still mentions memories about it from time to time.  It was so much fun.  Everything we did was centered around the boys and what we thought they might enjoy.  We need to go back and do it all over again.      

We loaded into the truck the morning of Thursday July 13th to drive just a few hours east and south to the Idaho/Utah border.  Our first stop was at the historical pioneer tabernacle in Paris, Idaho.  Sorry, no pictures.  We got to tour the building and admire the hundred plus year old workmanship.  So incredibly cool.

Next, we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming at North Beach on Bear Lake.  The water level was at a record high.  So much for a mile of sandy beach to play on!  It was under water.  But the water level still remained shallow for meters and meters; perfect for our two little almost swimmers to practice in.  The boys played in the rocks and whatever sand they could find.  We had ourselves a really relaxing afternoon splashing in the water and burning energy!  It was a beautiful day.

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